Philadelphia judge, the Honorable William M. Marutani (1923-2004), was the only Japanese American commissioner to sit on the
Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC). The CWRIC was a congressional commission established
in 1980 and charged with studying the mass removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and recommending
an appropriate remedy. The collection documents Judge Marutani's participation in the CWRIC, especially the hearings held
across the country as part of the commission's research. In addition to hearing transcripts, the collection includes written
statements by individuals, organizations, and drafts of
Personal Justice Denied (the CWRIC report).

Background

The Honorable William M. Marutani (1923-2004) was a second generation Japanese American (Nisei) born in the state of Washington.
During the early part of World War II he was interned for six months in Pinedale and Tule Lake. Later during the war he served
in the U.S. Military Intelligence Service as a second lieutenant with the Army of Occupation in Japan. In the summer of 1947,
Marutani attended the University of Chicago Law School. With a law degree to his credentials he moved to Philadelphia where
he practiced law and established a distinguished legal career as a lawyer and judge. In 1975, he was appointed to the Court
of Common Pleas in Philadelphia County making him the first Asian American judge in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. From
1980-1983, Judge Marutani sat as a commissioner for the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC).

Restrictions

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in this collection must be submitted to the Hirasaki
National Resource Center at the Japanese American National Museum (collections@janm.org).